Tyres!

Moo said:

Thanks for replies about the pedals, ordered some now.

Right, onto tyres, the tyres that come with the Stumpy are poo, very
rubbery, very soft, riding on wet rock wouldn't be far off riding on an
ice-rink....

Did you actually buy this bike?

"Moo" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Thanks for replies about the pedals, ordered some now.

Right, onto tyres, the tyres that come with the Stumpy are poo, very
rubbery, very soft, riding on wet rock wouldn't be far off riding on an
ice-rink....

My old Carrera had Continental Vapors, I liked them tyres and they didn't
cost too much, they were 26x2.1, however the Specialized tyres are 26x2.0
but seem a lot fatter giving more clearance for the pedals.

Any suggestions on tyres to get?

Also, I've got some slime lite tubes (presta), they give the size as
26x1.75-2.125, doesn't that mean they won't work on tyres bigger than 2.1,
they don't seem to do any bigger, doesn't really matter since I intend to
stick to 2.1 but was just wondering...

I've used Continental Vapors, they were ok. Wore them out and switched to
Panaracer FireXC Pro 2.1.

All good stuff so far, loose gravel or mud - seem to get more punctures
though (but that could be Doncaster council's crappy clearing after cutting
all the trailside bushes). I've just put some slime filled tubes in to see
if that helps.

Widths tend to vary 'cos manufacturers all measure in different places:
across the tread, across the walls etc... My frame isn't wide enough to
accomodate 2.3 so I'll only look for 2.1.

Hope this helps.

Nigel

marc said:

Moo said:

Thanks for replies about the pedals, ordered some now.

Right, onto tyres, the tyres that come with the Stumpy are poo, very
rubbery, very soft, riding on wet rock wouldn't be far off riding on
an ice-rink....

Did you actually buy this bike?

Yep, you want a picture (not actually sure what that would prove.... but
I do have all the manuals & a receipt?)?

Everything else is fine with the bike, I just don't get on with SPD's
and the tyres are known to be terrible and require replacing.

Nigel said:

"Moo" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Thanks for replies about the pedals, ordered some now.

Right, onto tyres, the tyres that come with the Stumpy are poo, very
rubbery, very soft, riding on wet rock wouldn't be far off riding on an
ice-rink....

My old Carrera had Continental Vapors, I liked them tyres and they didn't
cost too much, they were 26x2.1, however the Specialized tyres are 26x2.0
but seem a lot fatter giving more clearance for the pedals.

Any suggestions on tyres to get?

Also, I've got some slime lite tubes (presta), they give the size as
26x1.75-2.125, doesn't that mean they won't work on tyres bigger than 2.1,
they don't seem to do any bigger, doesn't really matter since I intend to
stick to 2.1 but was just wondering...

I've used Continental Vapors, they were ok. Wore them out and switched to
Panaracer FireXC Pro 2.1.

All good stuff so far, loose gravel or mud - seem to get more punctures
though (but that could be Doncaster council's crappy clearing after cutting
all the trailside bushes). I've just put some slime filled tubes in to see
if that helps.

Widths tend to vary 'cos manufacturers all measure in different places:
across the tread, across the walls etc... My frame isn't wide enough to
accomodate 2.3 so I'll only look for 2.1.

Hope this helps.

Nigel

Thanks for the reply, slime should help. Didn't have a single puncture
on my Carrera.

Moo said:

Nigel said:

"Moo" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Thanks for replies about the pedals, ordered some now.

Right, onto tyres, the tyres that come with the Stumpy are poo, very
rubbery, very soft, riding on wet rock wouldn't be far off riding on an
ice-rink....

My old Carrera had Continental Vapors, I liked them tyres and they didn't
cost too much, they were 26x2.1, however the Specialized tyres are 26x2.0
but seem a lot fatter giving more clearance for the pedals.

Any suggestions on tyres to get?

Also, I've got some slime lite tubes (presta), they give the size as
26x1.75-2.125, doesn't that mean they won't work on tyres bigger than 2.1,
they don't seem to do any bigger, doesn't really matter since I intend to
stick to 2.1 but was just wondering...

I've used Continental Vapors, they were ok. Wore them out and switched to
Panaracer FireXC Pro 2.1.

All good stuff so far, loose gravel or mud - seem to get more punctures
though (but that could be Doncaster council's crappy clearing after cutting
all the trailside bushes). I've just put some slime filled tubes in to see
if that helps.

Widths tend to vary 'cos manufacturers all measure in different places:
across the tread, across the walls etc... My frame isn't wide enough to
accomodate 2.3 so I'll only look for 2.1.

Hope this helps.

Nigel

Thanks for the reply, slime should help. Didn't have a single puncture
on my Carrera.

be warned slime is useless on snake bites, i used to use slime but i
found i was getting too many snake bites. this was on a solid framed
bike though.

roger

Moo said:

Thanks for replies about the pedals, ordered some now.

Right, onto tyres, the tyres that come with the Stumpy are poo, very
rubbery, very soft, riding on wet rock wouldn't be far off riding on an
ice-rink....

wet rock like wet roots gives naff all grip any way.

what sort of riding do you do?

Quoted message said:

My old Carrera had Continental Vapors, I liked them tyres and they
didn't cost too much, they were 26x2.1, however the Specialized tyres
are 26x2.0 but seem a lot fatter giving more clearance for the pedals.

Any suggestions on tyres to get?

if you like the cont's then get some more?

Quoted message said:

Also, I've got some slime lite tubes (presta), they give the size as
26x1.75-2.125, doesn't that mean they won't work on tyres bigger than
2.1, they don't seem to do any bigger, doesn't really matter since I
intend to stick to 2.1 but was just wondering...

will make the inner thinner and more prone to snake bites and such which
in my experance slime can't cope with.

roger

Moo said:

Thanks for replies about the pedals, ordered some now.

Right, onto tyres, the tyres that come with the Stumpy are poo, very
rubbery, very soft, riding on wet rock wouldn't be far off riding on
an ice-rink....

Eh? A soft tyre compound grips hard surfaces /better/ than a hard compound
does.

.......

Quoted message said:

Also, I've got some slime lite tubes (presta), they give the size as
26x1.75-2.125, doesn't that mean they won't work on tyres bigger than
2.1, they don't seem to do any bigger, doesn't really matter since I
intend to stick to 2.1 but was just wondering...

They'd stretch a bit. But it's much better to prevent punctures in the
first place by using more puncture resistant tyres rather than hoping stuff
in the tubes will seal them afterwards.

~PB

in message <[email hidden]>, Roger Merriman

(') said:

Moo said:

Nigel said:

All good stuff so far, loose gravel or mud - seem to get more
punctures though (but that could be Doncaster council's crappy
clearing after cutting all the trailside bushes). I've just put some
slime filled tubes in to see if that helps.

Widths tend to vary 'cos manufacturers all measure in different
places: across the tread, across the walls etc... My frame isn't wide
enough to accomodate 2.3 so I'll only look for 2.1.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the reply, slime should help. Didn't have a single puncture
on my Carrera.

be warned slime is useless on snake bites, i used to use slime but i
found i was getting too many snake bites. this was on a solid framed
bike though.

You only get snake-bites if your tyres aren't hard enough, so that's a
quick one to solve.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; not so much a refugee from reality, more a bogus
;; asylum seeker

Simon Brooke said:

in message <[email hidden]>, Roger Merriman

(') said:

Moo said:

Nigel wrote:
>
> All good stuff so far, loose gravel or mud - seem to get more
> punctures though (but that could be Doncaster council's crappy
> clearing after cutting all the trailside bushes). I've just put some
> slime filled tubes in to see if that helps.
>
> Widths tend to vary 'cos manufacturers all measure in different
> places: across the tread, across the walls etc... My frame isn't wide
> enough to accomodate 2.3 so I'll only look for 2.1.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
Thanks for the reply, slime should help. Didn't have a single puncture
on my Carrera.

be warned slime is useless on snake bites, i used to use slime but i
found i was getting too many snake bites. this was on a solid framed
bike though.

You only get snake-bites if your tyres aren't hard enough, so that's a
quick one to solve.

true but that is comprimise. too hard and the grip and ride suffer.
certinly on a bike with no suspention it's a trade off.

roger

Moo said:

Right, onto tyres, the tyres that come with the Stumpy are poo, very
rubbery, very soft, riding on wet rock wouldn't be far off riding on an
ice-rink....

Wet rock is never going to give very good purchase...

Quoted message said:

My old Carrera had Continental Vapors, I liked them tyres and they
didn't cost too much, they were 26x2.1, however the Specialized tyres
are 26x2.0 but seem a lot fatter giving more clearance for the pedals.

Any suggestions on tyres to get?

If you liked the Contis then might as well stick with them.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Roger Merriman said:

Moo said:

Thanks for replies about the pedals, ordered some now.

Right, onto tyres, the tyres that come with the Stumpy are poo, very
rubbery, very soft, riding on wet rock wouldn't be far off riding on an
ice-rink....

wet rock like wet roots gives naff all grip any way.

what sort of riding do you do?

Mostly just off-road, mud, dirt etc but also some rocky downhill areas
around the midlands and also wales.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

My old Carrera had Continental Vapors, I liked them tyres and they
didn't cost too much, they were 26x2.1, however the Specialized tyres
are 26x2.0 but seem a lot fatter giving more clearance for the pedals.

Any suggestions on tyres to get?

if you like the cont's then get some more?

Although they are 26x2.1, the ones on the bike are 26x2.0, the vapors
look a lot smaller (i.e. height, the sides of the tyres, the specialized
tyres look a lot fatter/taller), not sure how that will affect pedal
clearance etc.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Also, I've got some slime lite tubes (presta), they give the size as
26x1.75-2.125, doesn't that mean they won't work on tyres bigger than
2.1, they don't seem to do any bigger, doesn't really matter since I
intend to stick to 2.1 but was just wondering...

will make the inner thinner and more prone to snake bites and such which
in my experance slime can't cope with.

Not heard the term snake bite before, is it like a pinch flat?

Nigel said:

"Moo" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Thanks for replies about the pedals, ordered some now.

Right, onto tyres, the tyres that come with the Stumpy are poo, very
rubbery, very soft, riding on wet rock wouldn't be far off riding on an
ice-rink....

My old Carrera had Continental Vapors, I liked them tyres and they didn't
cost too much, they were 26x2.1, however the Specialized tyres are 26x2.0
but seem a lot fatter giving more clearance for the pedals.

Any suggestions on tyres to get?

Also, I've got some slime lite tubes (presta), they give the size as
26x1.75-2.125, doesn't that mean they won't work on tyres bigger than 2.1,
they don't seem to do any bigger, doesn't really matter since I intend to
stick to 2.1 but was just wondering...

I've used Continental Vapors, they were ok. Wore them out and switched to
Panaracer FireXC Pro 2.1.

All good stuff so far, loose gravel or mud - seem to get more punctures
though (but that could be Doncaster council's crappy clearing after cutting
all the trailside bushes). I've just put some slime filled tubes in to see
if that helps.

Widths tend to vary 'cos manufacturers all measure in different places:
across the tread, across the walls etc... My frame isn't wide enough to
accomodate 2.3 so I'll only look for 2.1.

Hope this helps.

Nigel

Just been to my local Halfords, they have some of the FireXC Pro 2.1 in,
£19.99 each, they are the ones with the red stripe round the side, yes?

They do look nice (and fit in the with the colour of the bike perfectly)
but how are they on the road/fire road/tarmac? I wouldn't be doing much
in the way of road riding but there is usually something around the
trails or I have to get to the trails etc.

Moo said:

Nigel said:

"Moo" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Thanks for replies about the pedals, ordered some now.

Right, onto tyres, the tyres that come with the Stumpy are poo, very
rubbery, very soft, riding on wet rock wouldn't be far off riding on
an ice-rink....

My old Carrera had Continental Vapors, I liked them tyres and they
didn't cost too much, they were 26x2.1, however the Specialized tyres
are 26x2.0 but seem a lot fatter giving more clearance for the pedals.

Any suggestions on tyres to get?

Also, I've got some slime lite tubes (presta), they give the size as
26x1.75-2.125, doesn't that mean they won't work on tyres bigger than
2.1, they don't seem to do any bigger, doesn't really matter since I
intend to stick to 2.1 but was just wondering...

I've used Continental Vapors, they were ok. Wore them out and switched
to Panaracer FireXC Pro 2.1.

All good stuff so far, loose gravel or mud - seem to get more
punctures though (but that could be Doncaster council's crappy
clearing after cutting all the trailside bushes). I've just put some
slime filled tubes in to see if that helps.

Widths tend to vary 'cos manufacturers all measure in different
places: across the tread, across the walls etc... My frame isn't wide
enough to accomodate 2.3 so I'll only look for 2.1.

Hope this helps.

Nigel

Just been to my local Halfords, they have some of the FireXC Pro 2.1 in,
£19.99 each, they are the ones with the red stripe round the side, yes?

They do look nice (and fit in the with the colour of the bike perfectly)
but how are they on the road/fire road/tarmac? I wouldn't be doing much
in the way of road riding but there is usually something around the
trails or I have to get to the trails etc.

Further to the above, I've checked some reviews, very mixed opinions,
some say they are great tyres, others say there is a huge amount of drag
making uphills much more difficult... They are pretty chunky!

Moo wrote on 19/06/2007 19:59 +0100:

Quoted message said:

Further to the above, I've checked some reviews, very mixed opinions,
some say they are great tyres, others say there is a huge amount of drag
making uphills much more difficult... They are pretty chunky!

To be honest, although they are an old design (and therefore available
cheap) its hard to beat a pair of WTB Velociraptors as all round tyres.
I have tried other tyres but keep 'raptors on most of my off-road bikes.

--
Tony

"The most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there
is no good evidence either way."
- Bertrand Russell

Tony Raven said:

Moo wrote on 19/06/2007 19:59 +0100:

Quoted message said:

Further to the above, I've checked some reviews, very mixed opinions,
some say they are great tyres, others say there is a huge amount of
drag making uphills much more difficult... They are pretty chunky!

To be honest, although they are an old design (and therefore available
cheap) its hard to beat a pair of WTB Velociraptors as all round tyres.
I have tried other tyres but keep 'raptors on most of my off-road bikes.

They are cheap! Can get a pair of them for £20. How are they off the
trail i.e. road? Lots of trails I ride have a combination of road & XC.

in message <[email hidden]>, Tony Raven

(') said:

Moo wrote on 19/06/2007 19:59 +0100:

Quoted message said:

Further to the above, I've checked some reviews, very mixed opinions,
some say they are great tyres, others say there is a huge amount of drag
making uphills much more difficult... They are pretty chunky!

To be honest, although they are an old design (and therefore available
cheap) its hard to beat a pair of WTB Velociraptors as all round tyres.
I have tried other tyres but keep 'raptors on most of my off-road
bikes.

I used Velociraptors for years. Not fast, not light, noisy on tarmac, but
good secure grip on anything but wet roots. They feel very safe to ride
on. Unfortunately they seem to be discontinued, although you can still get
them in the shops.

There are tradeoffs in these things. Softer rubber is grippier, but wears
faster. Bigger knobs grip better in mud and clay (and, to an extent, sand
and gravel) but roll slower. Light tires puncture easily. Pay your money
and take your choice.

Having said all that, it seems to me sensible that a front tyre should be
optimised for steering and the rear tyre for traction, so the concept of
the Velociraptor (and the old Smoke/Dart combination that the Velociraptor
copied) seems to me a sensible one.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

... a mild, inoffensive sadist...

Quoted message said:

They are cheap! Can get a pair of them for £20. How are they off the
trail i.e. road? Lots of trails I ride have a combination of road &
XC.

A rule of thumb is the rolling resistance gets less as the knobbles on the
tyre get closer together.

Mark said:

Quoted message said:

They are cheap! Can get a pair of them for £20. How are they off the
trail i.e. road? Lots of trails I ride have a combination of road &
XC.

A rule of thumb is the rolling resistance gets less as the knobbles on the
tyre get closer together.

Well, the choice is between Panaracer Fire XC Pro 2.1 @ £40 for the pair
from the local halfords

Or

WTB Velociraptor steel, £22 (inc. del.) from a website.

I get the impression neither are good on road (even for short distances)
but the panaracer is better.

Moo wrote on 19/06/2007 20:59 +0100:

Quoted message said:

They are cheap! Can get a pair of them for £20. How are they off the
trail i.e. road? Lots of trails I ride have a combination of road & XC.

Actually 'raptors are one of the better tyres on the road. A fairly
smooth ride on tarmac although the rear tyre bars can squirm a bit on
heavy hill climbing. But others tyres I've tried are usually worse.

--
Tony

"The most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there
is no good evidence either way."
- Bertrand Russell